Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 312
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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312. Labyrinth Voice Phishing (2)
After hearing Low’s voice followed by her sister’s voice, Sesi rolled her eyes back and collapsed.
Ying, who had been blocking the door, rushed to Sesi as she was about to fall and slapped her cheek.
“Hurgrgueok!”
Sesi woke up screaming a bizarre cry. Fortunately, she had only fainted lightly enough to be awakened by external stimulation.
“You can’t faint either. Keep your eyes open.”
“Huk huk, yes!”
Sesi trembled as she pressed the pressure point the Mysterious Stranger had taught her. Her vivid blue eyes became clear from the pain that was a hundred times worse than being slapped.
Bang bang!
“Please open the door! It’s cold!”
“Are you abandoning us!”
Even while Sesi briefly fainted and woke up, the voices of Low and Hana could still be heard outside the mountain hut.
Whatever was mimicking their voices didn’t give up and kept trying to open the door.
“What on earth… is that?”
Serena rubbed her goosebump-covered body and asked about the identity of the mysterious something.
She felt as bad as when the Leader’s corpse that the Number Siblings had hidden in a box in the lobby had become undead and awakened.
Ying answered while alternately watching the door and windows.
“It’s a labyrinth snow wraith.”
“Snow wraith? Is it an undead monster?”
“I’ll explain. Snow wraiths are spirit-type undead monsters that only appear in cold regions. Frozen corpses are difficult to move because the bodies are frozen solid. So the souls of the dead escape from their bodies and wander around attacking the living. On days cold enough to freeze people to death, few people go outside.”
Clatter clatter. The mountain hut door shook. Despite his rough appearance, the voice of the shy Hunter could be heard.
“It’s me! Please let me in!”
“They try to enter homes by visiting the houses of relatives they knew in life. If someone who doesn’t know the snow wraith is dead thinks an acquaintance has come to visit and opens the door or talks with the snow wraith…”
Count Alpha, who had answered the snow wraith, frowned as if regretting his mistake. He repeatedly rubbed his picture-perfect face with his palm.
“They become victims of the wraith.”
This was the explanation about real snow wraiths outside the labyrinth.
Real and fake undead coexist within the labyrinth, and Ying explained about the fake snow wraith.
“The labyrinth snow wraith is a fake created by the labyrinth. Therefore, it has no memories from life, no acquaintances. Instead, it reads the memories of those who respond to it and acts accordingly.”
Count Alpha had answered the snow wraith, and Sesi had reacted.
As a result.
“Please open the door! My body is freezing!”
“It’s too cold! We caught a musk deer, how can you do this?”
The labyrinth snow wraith had acquired information that the two had gone to catch musk deer and was using Low and Hana’s voices to deceive the party.
Serena narrowed her brow.
“You’re saying it reads memories just from reacting? Isn’t that too strong an ability?”
‘It’s balance breaking.’
It was an inappropriate monster placement that made her want to complain to the labyrinth creator. Ying nodded her expressionless face.
“That’s right. It appears from the deep floors. I didn’t know it would appear here, so both Low and I let our guard down.”
Ying blamed herself for her carelessness and narrowed her wrinkle-free brow.
“If no one had reacted, it would have left quickly, but since someone answered, it’s too late. From now on, don’t react, don’t answer, and endure until dawn while maintaining your sanity.”
Count Alpha, who had answered the snow wraith, was devastated. He knelt down in anguish like someone who had received a death sentence.
“I’m truly sorry. My foolish actions have put Your Highness in danger.”
Ying spoke faster than Serena.
“I let my guard down too. Don’t be swayed by emotions and maintain your reason.”
Ying was unusually talkative today. It meant the situation was that serious, so Serena became extremely alert.
Bang bang bang bang!
“Open the door!”
“Hiiiing!”
Sesi was startled as if about to faint and clung to Serena while sobbing.
Serena stroked Sesi’s red hair while working her brain hard.
‘They say floors beyond the 50th are considered deep floors. This is a 10th-grade labyrinth and close to the 50th floor, so a snow wraith appearing isn’t balance-breaking level. Calm down, Serena.’
There are no perfect monsters in the world.
The Labyrinth Book, whose normal attacks were group attacks, was a good example.
The pages the Labyrinth Book threw could cut through human bodies, but the Labyrinth Book’s defense was weaker than a bare human body.
What about the Minotaur, which excelled in physical attacks and defense but was vulnerable to magic?
It was especially vulnerable to mental status ailments, and how satisfying it was when it couldn’t do anything because it was paralyzed with fear.
Similarly, spirit-type undead monsters were immune to physical attacks but vulnerable to magical attacks.
‘Hmm?’
Serena recalled the magic that had terrified the Minotaur, the most un-princess-like magic in the world.
‘Corpse Explosion has death attribute attacks added to it. Since that thing is also an illegal undead, wouldn’t it be weak to legitimate magic?’
Even if it couldn’t match the divine magic used by real priests of death, death attribute magic officially permitted by the authorities was effective against unofficial undead.
Remembering this point, Serena asked Ying.
“Ying. Wouldn’t it be better to fight the snow wraith rather than wait until dawn? My magic skills should be sufficient.”
“That’s correct. With Your Highness the Grand Princess’s magical abilities, you could handle the snow wraith.”
Still seeming troubled about including Serena in the fighting force, the Imperial Knight who specialized in monster subjugation frowned and agreed.
Sesi also clenched her fists, thinking fighting would be better than trembling all night, but Ying shook her head.
“No. Someone already answered.”
The Archer added an explanation seeing the expressions on the party’s faces.
“Labyrinth monsters are stupider than monsters outside the labyrinth, but stronger.”
It was an explanation she had heard on the 5th Floor. Thinking of the trouble they had with the formidable Dryad back then still made her grit her teeth.
“Both snow wraiths outside the labyrinth and labyrinth snow wraiths can be defeated by the Princess’s magic. However, labyrinth snow wraiths have stronger enchantment and soul stealing abilities than real snow wraiths.”
The Archer’s black eyes turned to the gorgeously handsome Imperial Knight.
“If we fight, it will steal only his soul and drag it away.”
Though the reason was omitted, Count Alpha, who had done something wrong, understood immediately.
“Is it because I answered?”
Ying answered with silence instead of words. Count Alpha realized that because of him, they couldn’t even fight the monster and became devastated again.
“Truly… I’m sorry. This sin can only be repaid with death…”
“Don’t repay it. The labyrinth that prevents even greetings is what’s wrong.”
A monster that could instantly kill if you answered it. Serena shuddered at the labyrinth’s mercilessness.
“Th-th-th-then what should we do now?”
Sesi clung to Serena and trembled violently. Whenever she seemed about to faint, she mercilessly pressed her pressure points repeatedly.
“I told you. Don’t react, don’t answer, and wait for dawn while maintaining your sanity.”
Thump thump!
Serena watched the door being shaken by the snow wraith.
“Don’t we need to barricade the door and windows?”
“If we don’t open it for them, they can’t enter. That’s the same as snow wraiths outside the labyrinth.”
The Princess breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that monsters with underhanded attack methods had restrictions on their actions.
“That’s fortunate.”
“If I become enchanted, shouldn’t I be restrained?”
Worried that he might attack the party if enchanted by the snow wraith, Count Alpha volunteered to be tied up.
Ying shook her head.
“If you stay still, you’ll get cold and sleepy. Move around.”
The Imperial Knight, who had been hanging his head with clenched teeth, suddenly started doing squats.
‘When she said to move around because staying still makes you cold and sleepy, she didn’t mean exercise. He really thinks differently.’
Because he had such thinking, he must have built muscles that didn’t get buried by his gorgeous face.
Ying extinguished the fire in the brazier, so the temperature inside the mountain hut gradually dropped. Serena pressed her body against Chicken Leader and glared at the door.
Some time passed. The snow wraith, already dead and never tiring, continuously knocked on the door and tempted the people inside the mountain hut.
Perhaps because Count Alpha had answered the snow wraith, the temptations gradually became more tailored to the Imperial Knight.
“Sirius!”
A man’s magnificent and wonderful voice could be heard from outside the mountain hut.
Serena, who had grown accustomed to Low and Hana’s voices, felt goosebumps rise all over her body again.
‘Wow, it’s copying this?’
Serena clicked her tongue inwardly. Perhaps because Prince Willow’s voice was so excellent, her fear was doubled.
“Sirius! How could you do this to me!”
Count Alpha’s posture faltered upon hearing the voice of his lord, whom he had known since childhood.
“Huff, hoo-eup.”
Fortunately, the Imperial Knight quickly regained his composure and focused on his squats.
Serena was confident that if Count Alpha’s mental strength was as solid as his thigh and calf muscles, they could safely get through this night.
“Sirius, you betrayer! Are you planning to abandon me? I thought we were friends!”
“Heu-eup, huu.”
After finishing his squats, Count Alpha did some lower body stretches and then began doing push-ups. Ying sat on Count Alpha’s back, both to monitor the knight possessed by evil spirits.
“It’s cold! Save me!”
Sweat poured like rain from the upright forehead of the knight who was forcibly concentrating on exercise while ignoring the sounds coming from outside.
‘If we hold out like this, it should be fine, right?’
Relieved, she turned her head to see the red-haired girl sleeping with her face buried in chicken feathers. Serena hurriedly woke Sesi.
“Sesi, you can’t sleep.”
“Huh! I wasn’t sleeping.”
“If you’re sleepy, move around.”
Serena moved away from the warm chicken and began jogging in place.
How hard could staying up for just one night be, but strangely, drowsiness was pouring over her.
Absolutely must not sleep, yet irresistibly sleepy? This was a staple of ghost stories.
‘It must be the snow specter’s ability, right? Let’s stay alert.’
Moving away from the giant chicken, the cold rushed to her bones, but rather than becoming more alert, she only felt sleepier.
Serena gritted her teeth and moved her body.
How long would they have to endure before the night ended? Without a clock, the situation was even more frustrating, and the only way to estimate time was by counting the knight’s exercises.
Count Alpha, who had also completed his quota of push-ups, stood up. As he did so, the necklace he had tucked inside his clothes spilled out.
The Imperial Knight carefully grasped what was likely a locket pendant containing a portrait of his beloved wife.
Then the magnificent voice that had been coming from outside the mountain hut changed to an unfamiliar woman’s voice.
“Honey.”
Count Alpha’s eyes widened upon hearing the voice. Fortunately, he didn’t run to open the door or respond. He just ground his teeth desperately and clenched his fists.
As if the target’s agitation was transmitted to the snow specter, it cried out more actively.
“Honey. It’s so cold. I feel like I’m going to freeze to death.”
‘So this is how I hear Lady Alpha’s voice.’
What about her face? She never expected to hear the voice first of someone whose name she didn’t even know.
Serena sincerely applauded the mysteriousness of the labyrinth, where one must never be surprised no matter what happens.
The knight’s jaw grew increasingly tense as he gritted his teeth. Even though he knew his wife couldn’t possibly be in a foreign country, let alone inside a labyrinth, it seemed hard to endure.
Serena didn’t think the knight lacked mental strength.
‘This must also be the specter’s ability.’
Just as drowsiness had strangely poured over her, the specter was probably scattering the knight’s reason.
“Count Alpha. You must endure.”
“I don’t need to be let in. But please, just save our child! Please! Ah! My stomach hurts!”
She’d heard that one voice phishing technique was to relentlessly pressure victims without giving them time to think, and the snow specter was using exactly that method.
The Imperial Knight’s jewel-like eyes trembled. Sensing the crisis, Sesi approached the princess.
“Wh-what should we do? I learned pressure points to knock people out from Sister Lavenda.”
“If he loses consciousness, he’ll become the snow specter’s servant.”
“Then what should we do…?”
How could they help the Imperial Knight who was resisting the snow specter’s abilities?
As Serena racked her empty brain, Ying suddenly put his arm around Count Alpha’s shoulder.
Serena’s heart pounded with anticipation.
‘Finally!’
Was the High Priest of Darkness finally going to abandon his long-held concept of hiding his power and use the sacred power of darkness?
Even if he continued to hide his power, he was surely trying to secretly help Count Alpha!
Thus the princess watched the High Priest of Darkness with great anticipation.
The archer spoke carelessly.
“Is your wife pretty?”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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